AI gaining ground with more parents for early stage education

On a typical Saturday afternoon, Li Nan, a 38-year-old housewife, is busy taking her son for extracurricular lessons at a school in Beijing's Haidian district. There is a difference though. Rather than the Maths Olympiad courses one would typically expect, her son is busy attending a robot programming class.

"My eight-year-old son has been taking this class for two years. Kids are taught how to program and design their own robots. I think it is necessary to expose my kid to some artificial intelligence enlightenment courses at this age," she said.

By 2020, China's AI market is expected to reach 99 billion yuan ($14.1 billion), and penetrate all age groups, said a recent report. The report, issued by the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association, showed that China's AI market is growing on a yearly basis, with a compound annual growth rate of 54.6 percent during the past three years, surpassing the global level of 36 percent.